Location: SGC Guest Quarters

POV: Marina Karssen

Rina took in the dark-haired, spectacled man standing in her doorway offering one hand while clasping a suitcase in the other.

"I'm Dr. Hutchison, the psychologist," he said.

Rina quietly accepted his outstretched hand, her expression passive.

"I'm here for your evaluation, but you probably already guessed that," Hutchison added with a friendly smile, "If you want, I can ask my questions here or we can go to—"

"Here is fine," Rina interrupted.

Hutchison paused for a second before stepping into the room and slowly closing the door behind him.

"Okay," he said, adjusting his smile, "Shall we sit down?"

Rina moved toward her desk, pulling out a chair for Hutchison before taking her usual spot on the bed. Hutchison placed his suitcase atop the desk, flipping it open once he'd seated himself.

"Are you familiar with inkblot tests?"

"Yes."

Hutchison produced a stack of cardboard from the open case before continuing, "So then you're aware of how this works? I show you a series of images and you tell me whatever comes to your mind first."

"Yes," Rina confirmed flatly.

Hutchison reached inside his jacket, withdrawing some note paper and a pen, which he laid on the desk beside him.

God, I'm already hating this.

Hutchison held up the first image.

"Okay. What does this make you think of?" he prompted.

Rina pursed her lips, exhaling loudly.

"An inkblot," she answered dryly.

For a moment, Hutchison didn't move. Then he put the inkblot aside and scribbled something in his notes before reaching for the next image. Rina stared at it, her frustration silently growing. She rubbed her fingers along her temples.

"A blot of ink on a piece of cardboard," she said, anger leaking into her tone.

Again, Hutchison paused, quietly sighing before swapping the image for the next. Rina cocked her head to one side, raising her eyebrows.

"Actually, that one kind of looks like a ribcage," she admitted.

Hutchison turned the inkblot around, taking a look for himself.

"Huh. So it does."

"I'm sorry, I don't see the point of this," Rina blurted.

"It's called a projective test," Hutchison explained, setting aside the cardboard in his hands, "It's designed to allow a little insight into your emotional state."

"And what exactly is this telling you about my emotional state?" Rina asked skeptically.

"I'm not confident in sharing my assessment at this point," Hutchison said, leaning back in his chair, "Um...maybe we could just talk for a bit? If you don't mind."

"Go ahead."

I just want this over and done with.

Hutchison folded his hands comfortably over his middle.

"I hear you haven't been able to give an answer regarding why you want to officially join the SGC."

"No, with everything happening lately, I haven't been able to give it much thought," Rina explained.

"Well, it's a pretty major decision. Wouldn't you have already thought about the 'why' beforehand?"

Yes.

"It was sort of...spontaneous," Rina shrugged.

Hutchison leaned forward in his seat, eyes boring into Rina.

"Miss Karssen, you strike me as someone who aims to be highly practical. So I have a hard time believing you would make such a decision based on spontaneity."

Rina stared at him, keeping her expression unreadable.

"I thought you weren't confident in sharing your assessment at this point," she said coolly.

"Why don't we circle back around to this later?" Hutchison suggested, straightening in his seat.

"Fine by me."

"I understand you've experienced some pretty severe panic attacks."

Rina closed her eyes, breathing out through her nose.

Please let this be over. Please let this be over...

"Yes, I had a panic attack after I first arrived at the SGC. And when Apophis gained a foothold here at the base, I had a complete shutdown after turning myself over to his Jaffa; I passed out cold. I think I also narrowly avoided a panic attack while undergoing testing by Dr. Fraiser."

"I see. Thank you for being open with me about—"

"My triggers have all related either directly to Apophis or invasive testing," Rina insisted hastily, "If I join an SG team, it's not like I'll be experiencing those triggers on the average mission. Unless there's something I haven't been told. Besides, even when I came face to face with Apophis, I was still able to do what I needed to—"

Hutchison held up one hand, cutting her off.

"Let's not worry about that right now," he said.

Rina blinked in confusion.

"I thought that was the whole purpose of this. To figure out whether or not I was fit to join SG-1."

"Right now, I'm just trying to get to know you," Hutchison explained gently.

Rina exhaled slowly, clasping her hands tightly in her lap.

"Okay."

"The two years you experienced off-world obviously impacted you very deeply, and trauma has a way of reshaping our perception of things. So I'd like you to focus on what happened during those two years, and start by exploring how it made you feel."

Rina swallowed, shifting her gaze to the wall. Her voice was hardly above a whisper when she spoke.

"I'd really rather not."

"You don't have to start at the beginning. You can start wherever you prefer. Whatever you feel comfortable with."

I'm not comfortable with ANY of it.

But she started mentally poring over those two years regardless; she knew she had to give Hutchison something.

If this evaluation goes poorly, I can kiss my ticket out of this place goodbye.

Besides, Hutchison wasn't asking for details, only emotions. So after a moment's consideration, the choice quickly became obvious.

"Okay, I guess I'll start with after I was captured by Ba'al." She cleared her throat lightly. "I was..."

Location: Ba'al's Stronghold

Year: 1997

Confused. Frightened. Isolated.

And fucking exhausted.

Rina stared at the walls of her cell. Or could they even be considered walls? Gravity was apparently quite malleable within her confines.

Not that it really mattered. A prison was still a prison.

Why is this happening?

She'd been asking herself that for so long now. Months...maybe even years. She hardly knew.

Except now things were different.

There were bodies...bodies everywhere. People screaming. Those men were killing each other.

She didn't know why. Her best guess had to do with the differing symbols on their foreheads.

They must have been enemies.

But if the goal was simply to wipe out an enemy, why had they bothered to take her prisoner at all?

Why not just kill me?

She almost wished they had. For all the times she'd contemplated ending things herself, she'd never been able to do it.

And it made her feel even more helpless.

Above her, someone barked something in that same old language she'd been listening to for the past year and failing to comprehend a word of. As if being locked in a cell for weeks or even months at a time wasn't enough to make her feel horrifying isolation, she had to be slapped in the face with a communication divide on an almost daily basis.

Sometimes, she felt as though she couldn't even remember what it was like to really talk to another person.

She felt gravity shift, slamming her against the wall—or the floor? Hell if she knew.

Then came the stomping of armored boots as two figures descended upon her. They each hooked an arm under hers and hoisted her onto her feet, half-dragging her out of the cell. Wide corridors passed them by quickly as Rina was forced toward whatever destination was in store for her.

That destination turned out to be a quite grandiose room featuring an almost throne-like chair in its center. And in that chair sat a man dressed in a double-clasped tailcoat all black in color, his beard trim and his skin a shade darker than Rina's. His hair, which was quite short, appeared dark and kinky. Overall, he seemed to have an air of elegance about him, further proved by how Rina was promptly shoved to her knees before him.

Then the man spoke, his voice carrying the very same resonance as that of the one who had tortured Rina for so long. Her skin crawled, her body froze, and her eyes fixed on the floor. The man—or whatever he was—must have asked her a question, because after a moment, he repeated the same indecipherable words, his tone notably more demanding.

"I—"

Rina's voice immediately broke. She took a shaky breath, trying again.

"I can't understand what you're saying."

"Do you understand me now?"

Rina couldn't believe her ears. She lifted her head quickly, eyes wide.

"Oh my god..." Tears of relief filled her vision. "Oh my god, you speak English. Please, please, I just want to go home. Please, can you help me?"

"Perhaps if you will return the favor."

"Anything," Rina blurted.

"I wish to know of what importance you were to Apophis."

"Apophis?"

She remembered hearing that name. Had it belonged to her tormenter?

"You were clearly no ordinary prisoner. You appeared well-clothed, well-fed. Most interesting, of course, is the fact that Apophis ordered his Jaffa to ensure you were beyond my reach."

The man knelt in front of Rina, tipping her chin up with one finger, dark eyes boring into hers.

"Why would he trouble himself?" he pressed.

"I don't know," Rina quietly confessed, "I was just some...some twisted plaything to him."

The man withdrew his hand but remained propped on one knee.

"He never mentioned a weapon?"

"I don't—"

Rina stopped dead, horror flooding through her.

"Oh god," she breathed, her hand hovering over her mouth in shock, "Is that what he put inside me? Is that—"

She cut herself off, her terror quickly compounding.

I just told him the thing he's looking for might be INSIDE me. What if he cuts me open like Apophis did? Oh fuck, what have I done?!

Her stomach churned, threatening to make her sick. Then she saw the spark of interest in the man's eyes, the wheels of his mind turning.

Please, no...

He stood, snapping at Rina's armored escorts in that strange language. Then their hands locked onto her again, dragging her back.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"No, wait!" she protested, "What are you doing?!"

But she received no answer.

It's happening again. No no no no no NO!

Her insides felt like they were compressing, burning. Something was building inside her. She wrenched her whole body, trying to break free of the ones holding her.

"Get off!"

Then that pressure inside her released, a sudden flash of copper-orange surrounding her. Rina's captors shouted in surprise, their grip on her vanishing. Marina felt herself falling forward, limp and drained, the floor rushing up to meet her as she blacked out.

Then everything went silent.

Where am I?

Marina opened her eyes, feeling for her surroundings. Her hand came up against something solid. She turned her head slowly, taking it in. Upon realizing what she was laying in, she sat up quickly, trying to clamber out.

"You're awake."

Rina froze, heart pounding as she turned toward the speaker.

It was the same man from earlier. Only now, strangely, he sounded...normal. He sounded human, with an accent Rina hadn't previously detected. Marina blinked, straightening.

"Your voice is different."

The man smiled.

"I assumed you would be more comfortable with this."

Rina blinked again. The clear implication was that he actually cared about her comfort.

That can't be right...

The man stepped forward.

"I am Ba'al," he said.

Rina stared at him.

As in 'heathen god from the Bible' Ba'al? She gave herself a shake. I must be going insane...

"I'm Rina. I mean, Marina...Karssen."

"Rina." Ba'al took another step toward her. "What a lovely name."

Rina was speechless. After months of being treated as less than human, she simply couldn't handle this uncanny behavior. So she changed the subject.

"What happened to me?"

Another step brought Ba'al within a few feet of Rina.

"The weapon. You activated it somehow."

"W-what does that mean? I activated it? How? Why?" Her questions tumbled out, one after the other, her voice rising to a shout. "Why is there a weapon inside of me?!"

Ba'al's smile faded.

Shit. Shit! I've made him angry, Rina panicked.

Yet Ba'al's response held no hostility.

"Evidently, it needs a host," he said, "But I'm not the one who chose you for that role."

Apophis...

Another question struck Rina and she pointed at the strange device she'd just crawled out of.

"Apophis had one of those things. What is it?"

"A sarcophagus. A healing device."

It always felt like a tomb to me.

Rina tried to organize her scattered thoughts, to calm herself.

"I need to go home."

"And where exactly is that?"

"Earth. A little planet in the Milky Way between Venus and Mars," Marina rambled, gesturing wildly, "How do I get there?"

Ba'al considered her a moment, then turned on his heel, gesturing for her to follow.

"Come."

Rina hesitated, watching his retreating back. Then, slowly, she followed. He led her through one grand corridor after another until at last they came to an imposing door, which Ba'al promptly triggered open using some sort of keypad built into the wall next to it. Though once Rina saw what was beyond, she went deathly still, drinking in the sight before her with silent awe.

It was green as far as the eye could see, lush grass and forests stretched across the distant horizon. Tears flooded Rina's vision. When was the last time she'd set foot outside? When was the last time she'd even been offered some semblance of freedom?

It's beautiful.

She stepped out, Ba'al already well ahead of her. On a whim, she reached down to yank off her footwear, letting her bare feet revel in the feel of that grass. Then she was on her knees, her hands running through the thick greenery, an immeasurable feeling of joy and relief buzzing inside her chest.

"Are you unwell?"

Rina snapped upright, climbing hastily to her feet.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "I'm sorry. I just...the grass—"

"Is there something wrong with it?"

"No, it's perfect, I love it," Rina blurted.

Ba'al looked at her strangely for a moment, then continued on. Rina hastily shuffled back into her footwear and fell in behind him.

It wasn't long before she spotted the massive ring in the distance. At first glance, it seemed to be made of stone, all grey in color. Yet as they drew closer, that appeared not to be the case, though Rina had no guess as to what it might really be made of. A series of symbols ran along the structure, with another strange device placed a mere stone's throw in front of it, a glowing red sphere at its center. Two armored men stood to either side of the ring, though they quickly dropped to their knees when they saw Ba'al approaching.

"Shal'kek," Ba'al told them, his voice displaying its former resonance.

The two men quickly sprang to their feet and strode away in silence, leaving Ba'al and Rina standing alone in front of the unknown structure.

I guess 'Shal'kek' means 'go away'? Rina pondered silently, watching the pair retreat.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ba'al gesturing to the giant ring and turned back toward him.

"The Chappa'ai," he said, identifying the structure for her.

This is how I get home?

"How do I use it?"

Ba'al moved toward the device with the glowing center, waving a hand over it.

"It requires a specific combination of symbols to activate. If you know the correct symbols to connect this gate—" Ba'al pointed to the ring. "—to the one on your world, you'll be able to return there."

Rina felt a tightness forming in her chest.

"What?"

"Perhaps you require a demonstration," Ba'al decided, tapping a number of symbols on a device.

They instantly lit up at his touch, the inner track of the ring starting to spin. Rina stared in bewildered awe. Then Ba'al laid his hand on the glowing center of the device, causing the light emanating from it to grow stronger. A shining liquid seemed to spill from the inner edges of the gate, converging at the middle and spewing forth a powerful wave. Rina ducked away from it, dropping her footwear and tumbling sideways onto the grass. But it retreated just as quickly as it had erupted, creating a fluctuating surface of luminescent blue. Rina stared at it, hardly comprehending what she was seeing. Ba'al strolled over to where she lay, an amused smile on his face.

"I take it you come from a more...primitive planet," he said.

Rina didn't answer, silently clambering to her feet.

A so-called gate that travels between planets...I really have gone insane.

Ba'al moved toward the gate, pausing to look back.

"Do you wish to accompany me?"

"I'm...I'm not walking through that thing," Rina protested weakly, stepping back.

"Very well."

Ba'al stepped through the watery surface, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Rina stared, heart pounding in her chest. For a moment, she didn't know what to do. She was here alone. Or at least mostly alone. The guards Ba'al had dismissed earlier had stayed within line of the sight of the gate. If she took off running, she'd hopefully have enough of a head start to prevent them from catching up, especially if she aimed for the trees, where there might be places to hide.

If she wanted to escape, now was the chance.

But escape where? By running, she could simply be putting herself in a worse situation. Her eyes fixed back on the gate. If Ba'al was truly sincere, this gate was her best chance at getting home.

It was also her best chance at determining whether or not Ba'al could be trusted to any degree.

She circled around to the far side of the gate. It looked exactly the same on either side. She circled back, hesitantly placing her hand into the fluctuating surface.

The sensation certainly wasn't that of water.

Rina took a deep breath, shifting her stance uneasily.

Just one step forward, and I'll be through.

But for each time she moved toward it, her body instinctively pulled back.

It's just one step...just one...

But she couldn't. She didn't know what really waited beyond that so-called gate. Yes, Ba'al had gone through first, but that didn't mean it was safe for her.

Rina felt her hopes plummet as she stepped back from the ring, her expression twisting into one of pained despair. She turned toward the device Ba'al had used to activate the 'Chappa'ai' as he'd called it, hurrying toward it. If these symbols could be used to connect other planets, perhaps there was a chance that some of them were visual references for those planets, in which case, she might be able to recognize one of them. She pored over the shapes, noting the seven that were currently lit up.

Suddenly, they darkened, prompting Rina to look up at the gate. It had seemingly turned off.

What does that mean?

She swallowed, dropping her gaze back to the symbols in front of her and trying to take them in as fast as possible. But as she swept over them, one by one passing by her line of sight without sparking any sense of recognition, her despair grew, her breathing accelerating frantically. She glanced over them again, willing just one to stand out to her. But again, none did.

Then the sound of the gate roaring back to life drew her attention. She stared at it a moment, feeling on the verge of tears, her breathing ragged and uncontrolled. Turning away, she sank to her knees, tucking herself under the lip of the activation device. She pulled her knees up under her chin, wrapping her arms around them and succumbing to tears.

After a few seconds, the sound of hurried footsteps caught her ears and a dark blur appeared in her peripheral vision, stopping abruptly before turning toward her.

"I'm...I'm never going back home, am I?" Marina sobbed.

Would he even have let me if I knew how? I have this...this weapon he wants. He fought Apophis for it. He would never just give it up that easily. I'm an idiot...

She heard the grass rustle softly as Ba'al moved toward her.

"It's unfortunate I cannot be of any further assistance to you."

There it was again. The implication of care. Marina lifted her head, still half-blinded by tears. Her brows furrowed as she stared up at Ba'al.

"You're the same as him...Apophis. You want the same thing."

"Apophis is a fool," Ba'al scoffed, "By your own admission, he reduced you to his 'plaything'."

And what will you reduce me to?

"It's clear you don't trust me," Ba'al said after a brief pause, "I don't blame you."

Rina felt a twinge of surprise. Those words were just about the last ones she'd expected to hear. Her gaze fell to the lush grass.

"I just—" Her voice quavered. "I just can't go back to a prison. Please, I can't—"

She cut off, overwhelmed by her own emotions. She drew her arms tighter around her legs, ducking her head to hide her growing distress.

Apophis had only ever laughed at her pain. So her instinct had become to deny him the satisfaction by masking her feelings as much as humanly possible. Though it had always ended the same, with her back in her old cell, crying and screaming till she was hoarse, or until her guards started screaming back at her.

"I have no intention of confining you again," Ba'al answered, gesturing at the massive structure they had emerged from earlier, "My entire stronghold is yours to inhabit freely. At my command, none of my Jaffa will hinder you from venturing wherever you please."

Jaffa? Is that what he calls his guards?

"What about out here?" Rina asked timidly, lifting her head once more.

"For your own safety, it'd be best if you remained within view of the stronghold and were accompanied by my Jaffa," Ba'al said.

"My safety?" Rina echoed, her voice strained.

It's a threat. If I step out of the line he's drawn—

"Of course," Ba'al insisted, interrupting her thoughts, "You're unfamiliar with this planet. And you lack resources. It'd be deeply unfortunate if you lost your way or became injured."

Stop acting like you care. Stop trying to make me feel some false sense of security. Because if I let myself believe it, it'll only make things worse...

"Come. I wish to show you something," Ba'al urged.

"I'd rather stay here...just a little longer. If you don't mind."

There was a lengthy pause. Rina's heart hammered in her chest. At any moment, she feared Ba'al would simply drop the nice guy act and fly into a rage, dragging her kicking and screaming back to her cell.

Instead, he answered, "Very well. I will send you an escort."

Turning, he shouted for the distant guards, his voice resuming its resonance. Rina watched the armored men hastening toward them, brushing away her remaining tears.

"Do any of them speak English?"

Ba'al smiled.

"I will instruct them to do so in your presence."

"Thank you," Rina murmured.

Ba'al's smile seemed to grow, though he said nothing, striding away in silence.

Marina forced herself to focus on her breathing, drawing slow, even breaths until the tension in her body gradually eased. She let her arms fall, her fingers tangling in the grass. She closed her eyes, trying to sort through her troubled thoughts. She didn't get far, however, before she heard the heavy step of armored feet nearby. The guards had reached the gate, hastily resuming their post. Rina pushed herself to her feet, taking a moment to steady herself before walking back toward the stronghold. She didn't know how long she had before her escort arrived, and she wanted that time to herself. Kicking off her footwear, she let her feet drag through the grass, her eyes gently closing to allow her to fully relish the feeling.

The second her eyes shut, she was plunged back into the memory of that night, the feeling of the tall grass brushing against her, her screams stretching out into the dark, something unseen pouncing at her.

Her legs buckled, her body shaking violently, her hands involuntarily tearing up fistfuls of grass. Her heart was pounding so hard that it hurt, her face an inch from the ground as she stared wide-eyed at nothing, whimpering.

It's not real. You're not there, she tried to tell herself.

But it felt real, so real.

Don't take me back there, she told the unseen figure in her memories, I can't go back to Apophis. I need...I need to get away. I need to run.

And suddenly, she was. Her feet still bare, she pelted across the turf toward the trees, legs pumping furiously despite having been unable to carry her weight just seconds prior. She heard distant shouts but she ignored them. She just had to get out of there.

She barrelled straight down a hill, losing her footing halfway down and tumbling to the bottom, limbs flailing and smacking together. She lay at the bottom, dazed, feeling the pain of her bruises.

Where was she? What was she even doing?

Shouts rang out once more, and her head swivelled toward the sound. Two men raced toward her, instantly reminding her of the need to run. She scrambled back to her feet, tearing at full speed toward the forest's edge. She threw a glance over her shoulder every few seconds, watching with growing terror as the men steadily gained on her. Her lungs heaved, her muscles burned. She neared the woods. One last glance behind her, then she turned her head just in time to see to the tree right in front of her. There was an explosion of pain in the front of her head as she crashed into it. Then darkness swallowed her.

Rina jolted upright in the sarcophagus.

I'm here again...

Her eyes fixed immediately on the woman standing nearby, her dark dress contrasting sharply with her fair hair and eyes.

Marina climbed hastily out of the sarcophagus, stammering, "Wh-what the hell happened?"

The woman looked at her in surprise.

"You don't remember? You tried to flee."

I tried to...oh god...

There was no chance in hell that Ba'al would be lenient with her now.

"Follow me," the woman said, "You must be washed."

Rina looked down at her dress, now filthy with grass stains and dirt. Something seemed to be stuck to her face as well. She raised a hand to inspect it.

It was dried blood.

Stunned and shaky, she followed behind the woman, struggling to form words.

"Who...who are you?"

"I am among Lord Ba'al's most trusted servants. I am Shayla."

He's a lord...?

Shayla led her to a room where a bath had already been drawn. Three women stood in a line, eyes down, their dresses speaking to a restrained sense of elegance. Rina could smell a mixture of perfumes.

"My Lord has gifted you these servants," Shayla said, gesturing to the women, "They will follow your instructions perfectly."

"Oh...I don't—"

She stopped short. Now was not the time to be pushing her luck.

"Okay," she murmured, Shayla promptly taking the assent as her cue to leave.

Rina's settled her gaze on the steaming bath, drawing a shuddering breath.

As Apophis' prisoner, she'd been kept clean and presentable at all times. Doubtless, it'd been to serve Apophis' whim, so that Rina could be dragged before him at a moment's notice without appearing as the neglected and abused creature he'd turned her into.

It was amazing how something such as a warm bath, new clothes, and people to tend you could be turned into something so horrible...

Rina peeled off her dirty dress, the servants hurrying forward to assist her. Marina had long since learned to bite back her discomfort at being exposed in front of others. After all, nothing was truly hers anymore, least of all her body.

I had a weapon inside me this whole time and I didn't even know...

Rina lowered herself into the bath, letting one of her attendants begin washing the blood off her face and hoping they didn't notice the tears in her eyes.

Why is this happening?

She was tired of asking that fucking question, tired of feeling a complete lack of control over her life.

Then again, when had she ever not felt that way?

Even before I was kidnapped, before Alex threw me away...

Her life was a trainwreck of incredible scale. And that was the only certainty she had.

After Rina had been thoroughly scrubbed, combed, and perfumed and was at last allowed to exit the bath, she was shown a series of dresses for her to choose from.

Right...give me a meaningless choice to make so it can feed the idea that I'm somehow 'free' here, she thought, feeling further demoralized.

She asked one of the servants to choose for her instead. They ended up picking out a black, gold, and white dress with a double slit skirt, low neckline, and open back. Though when they attempted to start piling jewelry on her, Rina staunchly refused, only allowing them to loosely style her hair with a thin gold chain. With that as the finishing touch, Rina quietly excused herself from the room, venturing forth unattended into the rest of the stronghold.

It was amazing how silent it was. Her footsteps echoed through the palatial halls, and the guards she encountered along the way stood so still that they may as well have been statues. It was almost...eerie.

The sound of footfalls caught Rina's ear and she turned to face the noise, instinctively tensing as she spotted Ba'al approaching. The fact that he was smiling did nothing to ease her dread.

"Well," he said, "You look exquisite."

I don't feel 'exquisite' at all.

Rina swallowed hard, taking an unsteady step toward him.

"I didn't mean to run," she blurted, "I don't know what came over me. I'm...I'm sorry. I just can't be in a prison anymore. Please don't make me—"

Her voice broke, unshed tears stinging at the back of her eyes. Ba'al closed the remaining space between them, reaching his hands to her face. Rina flinched away, Ba'al momentarily pausing before slowly, ever-so-slowly cupping her face in his hands, his touch warm and surprisingly gentle.

"You have nothing to fear from me," he assured her, "I am not Apophis."

They stayed that way for a moment, Rina tentatively meeting his gaze, searching for any sign of a lie. But Ba'al was unreadable.

"Your—" She tried to recall the word he had used before. "Your Jaffa chased me."

Ba'al withdrew his hands, tracing the line of her jaw with one finger as he did.

"They were simply...alarmed by your behavior."

"They scared me."

"I will see that they are punished for it."

"What?" Rina stepped back, eyes wide. "No. I don't want that."

Ba'al seemed to consider her a moment before answering.

"Very well." He turned abruptly, bidding her to follow. "Come. I have a gift for you."

I don't want more servants. I don't want ANY servants.

But Rina followed him regardless, turning from one corridor to the next until they reached an open room so massive that she never would've guessed it was merely a bedroom if not for the bed placed center-right. Even so, that bed was at least two or three times the size of what an average person needed, with numerous pillows arranged upon it and a gorgeous canopy hanging over it. To her left was an ornate table supplied with an overflowing bowl of what Rina assumed were various unfamiliar fruits.

It all felt overwhelmingly extravagant and so damn confusing.

I tried to run away and he gives me servants and a bedroom fit for royalty. He can't be serious. He's showing me this just to get me to cooperate, to show me what I'll be losing out on if I don't stay in line.

But Ba'al's next words seemed to shatter that theory.

"It's yours," he said.

Rina stared at him, speechless. For all the doubts she had about him, it seemed he'd been truthful in one respect.

He wasn't Apophis...at all.